NIIK Joins Industry Initiative to Train the Next Generation of Chemical Professionals

From September 15 to 18, 2026, NIIK hosted a practical training module for faculty members from universities participating in the federal project “Advanced Training and Retraining of Skilled Professionals in New Materials and Chemistry,” part of Russia’s national “New Materials and Chemistry” initiative.

The program brought together faculty from Novosibirsk State Technical University, Kazan National Research Technological University, Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University, Pacific National University, and Tomsk Polytechnic University. The training was designed to immerse university educators in a real-world engineering and research environment.

The placement formed part of the professional development program “New Materials and Chemistry: Developing and Updating Higher Education Programs in Chemistry and New Materials in Line with Industry Skills Demand.” The program is delivered by the TSU Center for Advanced Training and Retraining of Skilled Professionals in New Materials and Chemistry and focuses on strengthening faculty members’ practical expertise and familiarizing them with current technologies, industrial processes, and professional challenges across the chemical sector.

Practical modules are hosted by companies and organizations involved in the federal project, giving university faculty direct exposure to modern manufacturing, research, and engineering practices. The experience can then be incorporated into the development and revision of university curricula.

To prepare future professionals for careers in the chemical industry, educators need more than a strong theoretical foundation. They also need a clear understanding of how modern industrial projects operate: the challenges researchers and engineers are expected to solve, the digital tools they use, and the skills required at each stage of developing an industrial facility.

At NIIK, participants were introduced to the full cycle of engineering and R&D activities — from research and development and the preparation of design input data to process engineering for gas and chemical facilities. The program also covered modern approaches to digital process simulation, as well as methods for equipment diagnostics and maintenance.

This hands-on format helped connect academic curricula with the real-world challenges engineers are currently addressing on industrial projects.

A separate part of the program focused on cooperation between universities and research organizations. Participants discussed career paths for young researchers, the skills expected at different stages of professional development, and approaches to workforce development within research organizations working in partnership with universities.

The program also included an open discussion between participants and NIIK’s young professionals, many of whom had themselves been university students only recently. They spoke candidly about their expectations and day-to-day experience at work, highlighting which knowledge and skills acquired at university had proved particularly valuable, which competencies they had needed to develop on the job, and how they see their future careers progressing.

“Faculty placements of this kind are an important step toward long-term cooperation between universities and industry in education, research, and technology entrepreneurship,” said Marina Yezhova, NIIK Human Resources Director. “We developed a tailored program that gives representatives of fundamental science a practical understanding of modern engineering, the level of complexity faced by researchers and design engineers, and the methods used to address these challenges. Building education around real industry needs will enable universities to prepare specialists more precisely for specific technological processes, including emerging areas that have not yet been incorporated into standard curricula.”

NIIK’s participation in the TSU Center’s initiative is part of the company’s broader, systematic cooperation with specialist universities and industry organizations. NIIK works with educational institutions to ensure that professional training reflects the real needs of the chemical industry and modern engineering.

The company’s university partnerships are complemented by its involvement in industry-level expert discussions. This allows NIIK both to contribute to the training of future specialists and to participate in shaping practical mechanisms for the technological development of the chemical sector.

NIIK is also involved in industry initiatives under the national “New Materials and Chemistry” project. In particular, company experts take part in working sessions hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation focused on advancing Russian-developed technologies and reducing the risks associated with their first industrial deployment.

At one such session, NIIK CEO Oleg Drobotushchenko proposed using the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) methodology as a practical tool for assessing and mitigating technological risks during the development and implementation of new solutions.